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BEWARE OF THE SPOILER! (It's right there at the very top of the article, so should you now want one of Left Behind's key story beats spoiled for you run, run you fool, and don't look back.) Despite the myriad moments that build to it playing out the way that it does, I'm slightly abashed to say that I wasn't expecting the kiss. I don't know why. It's plain to see that Ellie and Riley's feelings for one another run deeper than platonic friendship and despite neither being able to give voice to it, they know it, too. Instead, it manifests through instances of subtle physical contact, heated accusations and some slightly awkward exchanges. Revisiting Left Behind after several months, it's endearing to watch the pair talk around their feelings, coaching them in light-hearted teenage banter and friendly digs as they reacquaint themselves after a lengthy absence; it reminds me why Left Behind is one of my favourite video game stories of 2014.
Amongst its many touching moments is the imaginary bout on the broken arcade cabinet. This gift from Riley to Ellie not only lends weight to events in the main game but also leaves Ellie exasperated at her friend's inability to acknowledge why they're really there. It's a date, of course, the two girls unwittingly echoing a teenage ritual from another age despite living in a world in which a trip to the mall is a fanciful quirk of an unfamiliar past; the superficiality that the complex represents long since left behind.
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